Britta's Letters from her life divided between city-life in German's capital Berlin and life in a Bavarian village

Tuesday 26 August 2014

Botanists, Gardeners - I need your help!

Britta Huegel

Britta Huegel


Dear You, 
this might better belong into my blog http://gardeninginhighheels.blogspot.de/, but here I might reach more people.
In August on our stay on the German Northsea island Sylt I found a little flower that I have never seen before.
It is tiny - the blossom is about 2,5cm in diameter, hight of the whole plant about 5 - 6 cm, and on the second picture you can see its dentated leaves. It is strongly blue (almost like the colour of gentian - which it definitely is not). Striking white round stamen.
It was very stormy, so the photos with my macro are not as sharp as I wanted them to be.
I found the flower in the village Keitum - the tideland side of Sylt. Only one single plant, near a pathway. Might have escaped from a garden (in the 19th century there was a captain in Keitum who was famous for collecting exotic flowers).
The next day I first thought that some nitwit had nicked it - but it was still there, torn by the storm that had raged in the night.

Britta Huegel

Now: I know quite many wild and garden flowers - but I am baffled here. Can you please help me?



10 comments:

  1. I know so little about flowers that I cannot help you with identification. It certainly is a beauty.

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  2. A beautiful, blue weed. But, someone will know.

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  3. I confess myself baffled. Flower reminds me of Forget-me-nots and Baby Blue Eyes, but has 5 anthers. I suspect it is a fruit blossom in search of a tree. Good luck, Brigitta. I shall be alert for an answer!

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  4. Hi Britta,
    I think that it might be Phacelia Campanularia …. California Bluebell. Really pretty. XXXX

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  5. Dear Britta - I was just about to write that it was Phacelia campanolaria at the same time as Jacqueline wrote her comment. You can check it out here:-
    http://www.sarahraven.com/flowers/seeds/annuals/phacelia_campanularia.htm

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  6. WOW!!! THANK YOU ALL so very much (you see, I am really impressed!)
    When I read the link about Phacelia campanularia, I knew: yes, this is definitely the one - 'Desert Bluebell'. Never seen one in my life.
    What I think so funny is:
    - it is a wild flower of California - (I haven't seen it in Vita Sackville-Wests garden)
    -it needs full sun - hahaha, in Sylt?
    - it needs moisture - well, that it should get in abundance there
    "This is a great plant for very dry areas, and is drought tolerant. " - well, drought it will get, but dry area? It was the marsh, tide mud land. Might explain, why it was so utterly tiny: not reaching its possible height of 25-30cm (10-12in).
    What impresses husband most: that I saw it at all. I mean: there was a field of sea lyme grass, high, behind it - but my eyes fixed on that tiny dot of beautiful blue. Could easily become my 'Blue Flower' of the German Romantic poets.
    So: thank you all for helping me, and so quick and productive!

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  7. It impresses me that you automatically focused on the thing you found to be most beautiful. It tells a lot about you.

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  8. My mom has a beautiful garden but I can't name flowers (shame on me). This tiny little flower of yours is very beautiful. I love its color :)

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    Replies
    1. Dear Psychelyn,
      I think to enjoy flowers is more important than to know their names :-) To have a garden - or visit one - is always a beautiful experience (I do it often in cities I'm visiting).
      And yes: that blue is very stunning!

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